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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
TIGHTEN PRIMER POCKETS, here's how.
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<blockquote data-quote="crkckr" data-source="post: 2025009" data-attributes="member: 78056"><p>The bolt must extend beyond the case mouth... how much is up to you. It must also fit snugly into the case neck, so you will either have to reform the primer pockets before the cases are sized or after, but it has to be consistent each time. I custom grind all of my rods for each caliber and reform after cleaning and sizing.</p><p></p><p>The idea of the whole thing is drive the ball into the primer pocket just enough to reduce the diameter of the primer pocket so that it will once again hold the primers tightly. If the primer pocket is too loose, you can have a number of problems, everything from having the primer fall out completely (especially when cycling in a semi-autol) to having gas vent around the edges of the primer when firing the cartridge, to having the primer blown out into the action during firing. While none of these are particularly dangerous to the shooter, they do effect reliability, especially having to stop and clean unburned powder out of the action!</p><p></p><p>Since I prime all my brass by hand with a Lee primer tool, if I run across a loose primer pocket (one that seats much too easily) I set that case aside. After I get a few, I try to gently tap the primer out with a decapping punch (safety glasses are an absolute MUST during this operation! I've never had one go off but there is always that possibility when dealing with live primers and any kind of percussion!). If the primer comes out, it get the ball & tap treatment. If not, it gets loaded and set in a "F/O" bin and kept seperate as plinking ammo. Once I have enough to make it worthwhile, I will shoot these rounds up and run the lot thru the process of reconditioning the primer pocket. This happens mostly (for me) with .223 brass, of which I happen to have a fairly large quanity. I do this mostly because I'm really, really cheap! A fair amount is old military brass, which tends to be a bit soft but the worst offenders are the cheapo Chinese brass cases.</p><p>Cheers,</p><p>crkckr</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="crkckr, post: 2025009, member: 78056"] The bolt must extend beyond the case mouth... how much is up to you. It must also fit snugly into the case neck, so you will either have to reform the primer pockets before the cases are sized or after, but it has to be consistent each time. I custom grind all of my rods for each caliber and reform after cleaning and sizing. The idea of the whole thing is drive the ball into the primer pocket just enough to reduce the diameter of the primer pocket so that it will once again hold the primers tightly. If the primer pocket is too loose, you can have a number of problems, everything from having the primer fall out completely (especially when cycling in a semi-autol) to having gas vent around the edges of the primer when firing the cartridge, to having the primer blown out into the action during firing. While none of these are particularly dangerous to the shooter, they do effect reliability, especially having to stop and clean unburned powder out of the action! Since I prime all my brass by hand with a Lee primer tool, if I run across a loose primer pocket (one that seats much too easily) I set that case aside. After I get a few, I try to gently tap the primer out with a decapping punch (safety glasses are an absolute MUST during this operation! I've never had one go off but there is always that possibility when dealing with live primers and any kind of percussion!). If the primer comes out, it get the ball & tap treatment. If not, it gets loaded and set in a "F/O" bin and kept seperate as plinking ammo. Once I have enough to make it worthwhile, I will shoot these rounds up and run the lot thru the process of reconditioning the primer pocket. This happens mostly (for me) with .223 brass, of which I happen to have a fairly large quanity. I do this mostly because I'm really, really cheap! A fair amount is old military brass, which tends to be a bit soft but the worst offenders are the cheapo Chinese brass cases. Cheers, crkckr [/QUOTE]
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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
TIGHTEN PRIMER POCKETS, here's how.
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